


By a Landslide

by KageYuuki, Kimiwriter



Series: Until the Road Ends [3]
Category: Mach GoGoGo | Speed Racer
Genre: AU, Blood and Injury, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mix of English and Japanese Names, Post-Canon, crash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 04:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30033369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KageYuuki/pseuds/KageYuuki, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimiwriter/pseuds/Kimiwriter
Summary: At the heart of the biggest race of the year, an unexpected storm throws a wrench in the works.Sequel to Last Words.
Relationships: Mifune Gou | Speed Racer/Shimura Michi | Trixie
Series: Until the Road Ends [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2143188
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

The Mach 5’s engine roared as it sped down the road. The Global Grand Prix was a grueling, two month race through multiple countries and, sometimes, continents. Getting an invitation to the race was difficult enough. Actually finishing wasn’t a guarantee. A last minute change rerouted the race through Asnea. The checkpoints and rest areas were haphazardly cobbled together in irregular places and distances. Many drivers agreed the sooner they finished this leg of the race, the better. 

Yellow and red checkered flags along the road marked their approach to a checkpoint. “How are we doing on miles?” Gou asked as he decelerated.

Sparky checked the time and mile marker before scrawling the numbers in the small graph lines of their log. “We’ve got just enough to get us to the final checkpoint before our forced stop.” He grabbed the radio and pressed the call button, waiting a moment before speaking. “Mach 5 to Michi, we’re pulling into checkpoint number 18 at 1325.”

“Copy,” the radio crackled slightly as Michi’s voice came over the speakers. “It’s starting to rain here, be safe.”

“Refuel while I check in and get us something to eat.” They slowed as they entered the mile long stretch of the checkpoint. The official’s tent sat by the entrance followed by fueling stations, tents for the teams to rest in, and a large cafeteria with cheap sandwiches and snacks. Gou pulled into one of the fueling stations before taking the logs from Sparky and climbing out of the car. His legs ached from sitting in the car so long and he stretched his arms and back as he walked to the official’s tent.

“Good to see you, Mr. Mifune,” the official said as Gou ducked under the tent. “You’re the first one here.” He took the log from Gou, checking over the numbers before making a mark on the paper, indicating they checked in. “Are you going to use up your last few hours or will you be resting here tonight?”

“We’re pushing through.”

The official nodded, making another note. “There’s some reports of rain coming in near the finish line so be careful out there.” He passed the log back to Gou. “Best of luck.”

Nodding his thanks, Gou stepped out of the officials’ tent. Gray clouds loomed overhead. There was a distant roar of engines approaching the checkpoint. Gou ducked into the cafeteria tent and grabbed a few sandwiches and chips before making his way back to the car. Sparky was already finished, stretching his legs while he waited.

“Catch,” Gou tossed him the food before getting into the car. “We’ve got four hours before we have to stop and I’d prefer to be in an actual bed tonight.”

Sparky snorted, “You just wanna see Michi.”

Gou rolled his eyes, but didn’t deny it. They drove through the checkpoint and headed for the last stretch of the race. The first two hours crept by as they sped along winding roads and over the steep hills of the Asnean countryside.

Gou glanced up at the sky. “Anything on the weather?”

Sparky relayed the question to Michi.

“The forecast still says a mild thunderstorm, over.”

Gou glanced at the clouds again before sitting back and speeding forward. 

The rain started just as the road dipped into the valleys between the hills. Thunder rumbled in the distance. “With any luck, this is a short storm.” Sparky muttered, watching the rain hit the windshield. 

Gou flipped on the windshield wipers. “We’ll stop early if it gets too bad.”

Sparky nodded, glancing back at the map in his hands. They continued on in silence, the light drizzle growing into a steady rainfall. 

No one else was on the road. Gou slowed a little as the rain turned to sheets and flooded over the road. “So much for a ‘mild storm’,” Sparky muttered.

Gou didn’t respond, focusing instead on the road ahead as visibility worsened. 

“Mach 5, this is Michi, do you read me? Over.” The radio sounded muffled against the rain. 

“Michi this is Mach 5, we read you, over,” Sparky said.

“Be advised the storm category has increased. What’s your location?”

Sparky double checked the log, “We just passed the mile marker 1897.”

Gou shifted gears, “Officials want everyone to stop?” He listened to his question get relayed.

“Negative, I’ll keep you posted.”

“We’ll stop if it gets too serious.” The message was relayed again. 

Water rushed along the side of the road, splashing over rocks and tree roots as a flash of lightning cut through the sky.

Gou tightened his grip on the wheel and slowed even more as he peered through the driving sheets of rain. “I think . . . we’ll get to higher ground and then stop until the storm lets out. Just in case.”

Another bolt of lightning split the sky, immediately followed by deafening thunder. The car shook as the wind battered against it, pushing it on the slick road.

Sparky braced himself, one hand gripping the door handle, the other holding the back of Gou’s seat.

“It’s fine,” Gou said through gritted teeth. “We’re fine.” He drove up a hill, the tires kicking up water and dirt as it climbed.

A wave of mud crashed into them.

“Shit!”

The Mach 5 spun off, bouncing against rocks and trees as the mudslide carried them off the road and down the hill.

“Gou!”

“I’m trying!” The tires spun uselessly as he fought to regain control of the car. It turned, slammed against a boulder, jerking the whole car. Gou smacked his head against the window. He heard glass breaking as everything went dark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kage: This started as a Whumptober 2020 prompt. Because there's no way Gou went through his entire career without any kind of major wrecks. On another note, racing scenes are hard to write...
> 
> Kimi: I love Gou and Sparky's friendship and interaction in this story. We may write our version of their backstory at some point but for now, we left a few snippets for you.


	2. Chapter 2

Michi drummed her fingers on the desk, listening to the sound of radio static.  _ Come on. Come on, what’s taking so long? _ She stared at the map above her desk, calculating where they might have stopped.  _ Why haven’t they called in yet?  _ Behind her, the other radios crackled with the voices of other drivers checking in. Michi pressed a button on her radio. “Michi calling Mach 5, checking in, over.”

Silence answered her. 

“Mach 5 this is Michi, over.”

Only static.

Closing her eyes, Michi listened, willing the white noise to become words. When it didn’t, she set the headset on the desk and stood.

Jay Stokes of the Motor Cross Network straightened in his chair. “Something wrong, Mrs. Mifune?”

She cast him a tired smile. “Not at all. Just need some more coffee.”

He nodded, “It’s looking to be a long night with this storm.”

“Nothing we haven’t dealt with before.” She grabbed her mug and strode to the small kitchenette. Other team spotters and event coordinators sat at small tables with their own mugs of coffee. She searched the tired faces for one of the racing coordinators. It didn’t take long to spot the bright colored jacket denoting a member of staff. “Excuse me,” she approached, careful to keep her voice down in case Jay decided to try to listen in. “I’m having trouble contacting my team. They would have reported in if they stopped for the storm, but I only get static when I try hailing them.”

The official frowned, “a lot of teams are dealing with radio interference from the storm. There are some downed repeaters along the route.”

“How much time are you giving them before contacting the last checkpoints?”

“Thirty minutes.”

Michi gave a dissatisfied hum, but nodded. She glanced at the clock as she returned to her desk. Putting her headphones back on, she adjusted the dials on the radio, searching the frequencies for any sign of Gou or Sparky’s voices. Thirty minutes was a long time to wait if something had happened.  _ You two better be alright. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kage: A fairly short chapter as Michi begins to suspect something's happened to Gou and Sparky. Not to mention dealing with a reporting looking for a drama. (Think of the ratings!)


	3. Chapter 3

Gou groaned and opened his eyes. His head hurt. A painful ringing droned in his ears. A crack split his eye shield and the rain drummed against the hard plastic. Water and mud splashed over the side of the bent door and hammered down on him. Something heavy pressed against him. Blinking to regain his vision, he forced his arms up and pulled off his helmet. He looked around. The roof was gone. The windshield shattered. A large tree branch pinned him against his seat. Gou shifted and pushed against the branch. A sharp pain shot through his leg. He gasped, leaning his head back and hissing through clenched teeth. “Damnit.” Using his teeth to pull off one of his gloves, he felt down his leg, searching for the break or sprain. He touched something warm and wet and pulled his hand back. Dark red blood coated his fingers. “Shit.”

The tree kept him from moving too much. Turning his head, he looked over at Sparky. It was hard to see the redhead past the mass of leaves between them. “Sparky?” He pulled at the branches, snapping off the smaller ones to get a better view of his teammate. “Sparky, are you okay?”

A pained groan answered him. Followed by a weak, wet cough. 

“Sean?”

Another groan before Sparky answered. “What the fuck hit me?”

“Maybe the tree that’s growing out of the car.”

“Oh. . .” He coughed again and gasped. 

Gou pulled at a few more branches. “Are you hurt?”

“Everything hurts.”

He finally was able to see his friend. A thicker part of the branch was pressed against his chest, pinning him back against the seat. Bright red blood covered his nose, mouth, and chin and stained his jacket. He opened his eyes and met Gou’s worried gaze. “There’s . . . there’s two of you. . .” He reached up and pulled his own helmet off. A gash cut across his nose from where the visor had dug into his face.

“Don’t . . . strain yourself. You’re going to be fine.” He tried to shift closer, wincing as another wave of pain shot through his leg. “Are you able to breathe okay?”

“Breathing? Yeah, I think so.” Sparky finally looked down at himself and saw the bloodstain on his jacket. “Well that’s ruined.”

Sighing, Gou settled back in his seat.

“What about you? Anything . . .?”

Gou swallowed. “My leg’s pinned.”

“Shit . . .” Sparky shifted, grimacing as he tried in vain to move the branch off of his chest. He drew a sharp breath over his teeth. “So we’re both stuck.” 

“Michi’ll try calling us. And then she’ll have the rescue teams out combing for us.” More mud and water splashed over the bent side of the car.

“Yeah . . .” The redhead eyed the mud working its way inside. “Assuming we’re not buried at that point.” 

Gou swallowed again. He shifted branches, searching for the radio. Another bolt of pain shot through his leg. Grunting, he stopped and leaned back in his seat, waiting for the pain to subside.

Sparky leaned his head back and closed his eyes, feeling the cold rain continuing to fall on them. “Pops is definitely gonna kill us when he finds out.”

“Yeah. Yeah, he is.” Gou glanced at his friend before reaching over and shaking his shoulder. “Do me a favor and stay awake, okay?”

He groaned. “Yeah . . . World’s just spinning is all.”

Thunder rumbled overhead. Gou prayed they were low enough to avoid lightning. “Think you can reach the emergency kit? Should probably keep the rain off us.”

“I can try.” Sparky shifted, wincing as the branches scraped against him. He stretched and felt for the cord under his seat that would release the emergency kit. Leaves and twigs got in the way. Pushing forward, he hissed in pain and sat back. “I can’t reach it.”

Sighing, Gou craned his neck to look up in the direction of the road. No cars or flashing lights as far as he could see. Hot pain radiated from his injured knee. He pressed his hand against his leg, trying not to think about the blood warming his fingers. His knee throbbed. Closing his eyes, he moved his free hand through the branches and found the car horn. He pushed it, the sound muffled beneath the mud and against the sound of rain and thunder. 

“Gou, what the hell?” Sparky turned away, a small yelp escaping him as he lifted a hand to cover his ear. Tears mixed with rain trailing down his cheeks.

“Any better ideas to get someone’s attention?”

The redhead studied him for a moment before shaking his head. “No . . .”

Gou laid on the horn again, alternating between one long blare and an SOS message. 


	4. Chapter 4

“Tensions are rising here at checkpoint nineteen as an unprecedented storm sweeps through the area.” The reporter’s voice said through the TV, the sound of rain hammering on the roof audible through the mic “Eight drivers are currently unaccounted for, whether by loss of radio contact or, perhaps, by more serious tragedy.”

Kurio frowned, looking up from the page of homework notes that had devolved into doodles. 

“Among the missing drivers is current first place holder Gou Mifune.”

Dumping the notebook on the couch, Kurio scrambled to find the remote and turn up the volume.

“Officials are sending out search and rescue though the weather is delaying teams.”

“Kurio,” Daisuke called as he wandered into the family room. “You’ve got thirty seconds to get to bed and I don’t care if you’re not done with your homework yet. You’ve had plenty of time to finish instead of goofing off in front of the TV and--”

Kurio ignored him.

“Now, Kurio. Or I will carry you to your bed.” When he didn’t respond again, Daisuke huffed and took the remote from his son’s hand, clicking off the TV. “Do not make me get your mother.”

Kurio flinched, as if snapping out of a trance, and faced him. 

Daisuke stopped. Something about that look was hauntingly familiar.

“Gou.” Kurio grabbed the remote and turned the TV back on. The reporter was looking at a new sheet of paper before turning to the camera.

“Two teams have been located with minor injuries though there are still six missing, including the Mach 5. Team spotter, Michi Shimura, recently married and now Michi Mifune, has declined to comment.”

Daisuke sat on the couch.

“There were eight teams missing to start,” Kurio said.

“What happened?”

“Surprise storm. Gou was in the lead when it hit.”

They sat in silence. The reporter, a commentator and a meteorologist discussed the storm as they waited for a new update. “These kinds of storms are common here this time of year,” the meteorologist said in a thick accent, “but it is a bit early in the season for one of this magnitude.”

“Gou’ll be alright, right?” Kurio asked. “He has to be okay.”

_ “Kenichi’s okay . . . isn’t he?”  _ The question had been asked between hiccuped sobs. Daisuke opened his mouth to answer. A shaky breath. He closed his mouth and swallowed. 

Kurio watched him, waiting. When no answer came, he shifted and turned back to the TV.

Time became irrelevant, slowing to a crawl. The clock ticked away in the kitchen. A dog barked somewhere outside. A racing committee representative joined the newscasters to say the safety of the drivers was their top priority. Throughout the entire thing, father and son sat together in silence.

Kurio clasped his hands. His lips twitched as he prayed. Any minute, Gou would appear at the checkpoint line with his stupid, cocky smile and an apologetic excuse about their radio going down. The wait stretched into hours and reports of the other missing teams came in. Kurio trembled, his breath hitching as he struggled to keep his panic from showing. Daisuke put his arm around Kurio, pulling him close, his own eyes glistening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kage: Hope you were ready for a dose of angst!
> 
> Kimi: There's nothing worse than hearing bad news and not being able to do anything about it.


End file.
